End of Innocence
by ArrancarMaiden
Summary: Elik Kenobi is thrown into a life of survival and power when he sees his role model betray the Jedi. Now he fights just to survive and avoid capture by the Sith who want him alive...and his alliegance to the darkside. This is his story. FINALLY UPDATED
1. Chapter 1: How it all began

End of Innocence Chapter One: How it all began

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Star Wars belongs to Lucas not me, unfortunately.

AN: This is an edited and reviewed chapter one. I'm going back and doing the same thing to all the chapters. So hopefully it's much better than it was. So far, the only chapters done are this one, and my newest chapter, chapter 8. Enjoy.

I decided to add chapter 2 on this chapter, due to its shortness.

****ILOVEOBIWANILOVEOBIWANILOVEOBIWANILOVEOBIWAN********

It was a normal day so far in the Jedi Temple. Jedi Knights, Masters, and Padawans were heading every which way. There were people coming back from missions, glad to be done and be able to rest, and others who were heading out on a mission. In the Temple, life was as always. The Jedi Council was having yet another session (and those who weren't on the council generally were happy that they were not; mostly because of the long hours that a session could easily take up). But then something happened that was unusual. A call came into the Jedi Temple. The Knight who took it got a rather shock. It was about a potential initiate, whose mother had asked the hospital staff to call the Temple. The mother was dying and nothing could be done for her. She was however very concerned for her yet unborn son. The call was not for her, for she knew she couldn't be saved, but for her son to be saved. She had no doubt that her son had the ability to use the force. Why, she couldn't say on the phone, except that there was a high chance considering the boy's heritage and that she could feel it.

Master Yoda (who seemed to somehow been able to get out of council duty that day [who says Jedi Masters couldn't have a break anyway and he had sensed that the council chambers wasn't the place he needed to be]), as soon as he heard the call, knew that this child was important. He felt the Force telling him that this child was essential for the continual survival of the Jedi. They needed to save the child, as per the mother's request. So he had the Knight on call duty arrange transportation from her current hospital to the Temple. If the child could be saved, it would be the Jedi Healers who would be able to.

It didn't take that long for her transfer. She had been on a space hospital station not that far from Corescant. It was easy for her to be carried on a transport and taken to the Temple. She was put in one of the private rooms in the Healers' Wing. Later, when Yoda entered the room, he saw a pale young woman on the bed. The young woman let out a deep relieved breath when she saw him enter; the father of her son had told her of Master Yoda and that of all the Jedi she knew he would be most willing to help her.

When Yoda entered the room, he felt the presence of a person powerful in the Force and knew instantly that he was feeling the child who was still in its mother's womb. A child, if something wasn't done, would not have a chance to live. The doctors had told the Healers of the fatal disease that the mother was infected with. That particular disease that the mother had had no known cure. It was in fact considered one of the worst known diseases in the galaxy to have. Thankfully, it was also one of the rarest but had been getting more cases as time went by. They hoped it wasn't an outbreak or if it had mutated again. It had in the past, mutating into a disease that had actually been contagious. Thankfully a cure for that had been found, but not before hundreds died. But now, apparently in recent years the disease, as it was in the years before the outbreak, had been making a comeback. Numerous doctors and healers, as well as scientists, had listed the disease as a top priority to find a cure; many worked hours at trying to find a cure, along with the cure for other diseases. It ate away at the body of the victim, leaving nothing untouched. It even affected the body midichlorians, making the chance of survival even less. It wasn't contagious, and would only be spread from a parent to a child. It could skip generations, being carried by whole generations and yet those that carried it did not show sign of the disease. Somehow, the disease would be activated and would strike quickly and suddenly. Unlucky for the young mother, she had been pregnant at the time. There was nothing that could be done for the mother, since the cure had not been found and Healers could only do so much, but the child was a different story. Jedi healers had long ago discovered how to shield a part of the body, in this case the womb, from disease. This was the child's only chance to live.

Yoda talked to the mother for a while. She had already known that she would not survive and had accepted her death. She did not accept her child's, and asked that if there was anyway that her son could be saved then they must do it. She agreed to the Healers' suggestions about protecting the womb, or rather accepted their help support, and energy in raising the shields she had already placed around the child herself.

Later, Yoda sat in his meditation room, deep in thought. The Jedi code had been broken. The father, according to the young woman, was a Jedi Padawan. They had met when the Padawan had come to the planet to help with negotiations to settle a war that had been raging for generations. She was the daughter of one of the ambassadors sent to arrange the peace treaty to end the war. There, they had met. After more than a few weeks, the two had fallen in love with the other. The Jedi had been on the planet for months, for the parties in the negotiations were all very stubborn old men who wanted something to benefit their party. It was very hard for them to agree, despite the amazing negotiating skills of the Jedi Master. They had hidden their love for each other away from everyone else, including his master. It had not been hard to do, since the Padawan wasn't needed and his master was away for hours in the conference room. But it did not last.

Before he had left, she had become pregnant with his child. But this discovery took several days, by which time he was long gone. They had already made secret plans to meet up later, especially if he became a knight soon like he hoped. They would not have to hide their relationship then from his master, since he would be taking solo missions. When she had found out about her pregnancy she had not told him, not wishing to endanger his chance of staying a Jedi. She had planned to tell him when they met, but things didn't plan out that way. Soon her father had become sick and died. Soon after, she found out she was affected with the same disease. She did not give up and grew even more determined. She used the little force ability she had to erect shields around her baby. The shields would stand and keep out the disease. She was no Healer but the young woman came from a long line of descendents from some of the greatest Jedi who had fought the Sith long ago. Among these was Nomi Sunrider. While not enough to become Jedi, she could use the force a little. Her dear grandmother had been the same and had taught her some of her techniques before passing away.

So the young woman had inherited some ability to heal from her Jedi ancestors. Using this ability, she shielded her womb from the disease. The shields surprisingly held strong. The disease did not spread as fast as it had done for her father, mostly due to her small healing and her will power to live. Her father had not had that will to live, so he passed away quicker. But she did. She kept up her efforts but soon, she grew too weak. So she went to the space hospital near Corescant. When the doctors' efforts there failed to show progress, she had contacted the only people she knew who could help her; the Jedi.

She had been forced to tell Yoda of her child's origins so it would not be lost. So Yoda had a choice to make. Yoda knew the code had been broken. But the outcome had resulted in the conception of a boy who would one day insure the survival of the Jedi. He would need the help of his father, to raise him to be a Jedi. This the Force was telling him. So he would so something that would raise outcry if it was known publically, but hopefully it never would be.

He argued long and hard with the rest of his fellow Jedi on the Council on the issue. In their eyes, the Jedi code had been broken and the Padawan must be thrown out of the Jedi. It did not matter who the Padawan was, or how talented he was. But Yoda, knowing this action would doom the Jedi to their fate of defeat and utter destruction at the hands of the Sith. For not long ago, on a seemingly routine mission the Sith had shown their face. Master Qui-Gon Jinn had fought one of the desert planet of Tatooine, then later on the planet Naboo. He had died at the hands of the Sith there, but his killer was defeated by his apprentice, Obiwan Kenobi. For that, Obiwan had been knighted.

Obiwan Kenobi, the Jedi Padawan who had broken the code and become the father of a son. Kenobi was too important to the Jedi to be thrown out of the order. That he knew. In just a few short months, Obiwan Kenobi would become the father of a newborn baby boy. Now how to break the news to him. He would have to tell him before the birth, but when he had no idea. Eventually, with Mace Windu on his side, Yoda was able to convince the rest of the council that this was the best choice.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obiwan Kenobi had many titles: Jedi Knight, Sith-Killer, former apprentice to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and master to the Chosen one, Anakin Skywalker. But he was for once in his life completely speechless. He stared open mouthed at Master Yoda, unable to make a sound. This had to be a joke. Yep, that was it. Or he was finally having a mental breakdown after all those years of being held hostage, kidnapped, or nearly killed on missions. That had to be it. Or Master Windu was getting him back for all those pranks he had pulled…pranks? What are you talking about? Windu could be reading his mind, best not to think about those…wonderful pranks he had pulled….stop that. Yep, that was it. Master Windu had somehow convinced Master Yoda to help him get Obiwan back. Er…maybe not.

"What?" It sounded dumb to his ears, but it was all he could say at the moment.

Yoda chuckled at the look on his former student's face. If he could take a picture of his face, he would frame it as one of the galaxy's rarest sights. Obiwan Kenobi tended to be one of the most serious Jedi he knew, especially for his young age. It had only gotten worse since Naboo, but forunatly he had his young apprentice Anakin that seemed to finally having a bit of influence of him.

"Not joking I am. A father, you will be." (AN: I am STILL not good at Yoda speech. Please forgive any mistakes.) If Obiwan could now see the look on his face, he would be amazed. A look of pure horror, confusion, and dread was clearly seen. Actually, it was a strange mixture and if Anakin could see it, he would be making jokes…even if silent ones…at his master's expense.

Looking down and running his hand through his hair, Obiwan sunk into a seat that was convieniantly behind him. A son; He was going to have a son. How could that happen? There was no one…actually there was someone. It had to be her. He had promised to contact her and only just barely had had the time. When he had, he had gotten a message that she had left planet. But she was the only one he had…that kind of contact with. Anyone else would be impossible. What was going to happen now? He had broken the code. He had fallen in love and now apparently fathered a son.

Looking up at Yoda, he voiced his suspicion.

"Shaina?"

"With the healers, she is." Yoda saw a look of fear pass over the young knight's face. "Dying of a rare disease, she is. To save the baby, come here she did to the only people she knew could. See her, you will soon."

"What is going to happen now? When do I leave?" The fact that he was going to be kicked out the Order was now starting to sink in now. But will he be allowed to keep his son? Shaina was dying. It was a shock to him, and hit him even harder than leaving the order he had dreamed of since a child was. He was willing, and had been willing to leave the order before to be with her, but she had not wanted him to leave his dream and career behind. She knew how important being a Jedi was to him, but to him she was more important. The most beautiful woman in the galaxy was dying of an incurable disease. Why did this have to happen to her? Why not someone else? He knew that he was thinking inrationally, but at the moment he didn't care. Why did this always have to happen to those he loved? First he had lost Qui-Gon to that twice-damned Sith, now Shaina to some damn disease.

"Leave you will not! Needs you now, your son does." Looking at the confusion on the younger's face, he decided to explain more. Taking a softer tone, he said. "This the council has decided. Your son, great Jedi he will be. Someday to ensure the survival of the Jedi, he is needed. To do this, his father he will need. To lead him in the light, his father is needed. This your job is. Yours alone. Now, time it is to see the mother it is."

Obiwan, slightly in shock at what he had just heard, nodded numbly. He was not going to leave the Jedi. His career wasn't over. But he wished it was different, where he would leave the Jedi and live happily with his wife and son. But this way he was staying a Jedi. The plus he was going to be able to know his son. Slowly his fear flowed out of him and into the Force, and he stood up to follow Master Yoda to Shaina, and his unborn son.

********This is the what was once chapter 2 but I edited it and added it on the end of this chapter.**********

As soon as Obiwan entered the silent room, his eyes went to the figure on the bed. Shaina looked the same, except for the stomach of course and the signs of her sickness. Her long golden hair hung down, framing large blue eyes with a touch of violet. She was pale, and her tone of her skin told of illness. Her eyes looked different than they had been last time. They looked old, sad, and tired. She saw him enter, and he walked to her side. They embraced quickly. When they finally came apart, they still held hands as they began to speak quietly together. The others in the room, Yoda and the Jedi Healers, looked at each other and then left the two to their reunion.

**************hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe********************

Five months later, Obiwan was seen holding the hand of his beloved. Five long hours of labor had occurred, straining his patience. The process twisted his heart in anguish, seeing his love go through the agony of childbirth, which he knew she didn't need in her weakened state. Five months was far too short a time to spend with Shaina. They all knew that there was no hope for her life to be spared, just the child. She knew that and wanted her son to live at all costs, even at the cost of her own life.

Now, the time had come. To everyone in the room, the weak cry of a baby boy breaking the silence was like music. When the baby was cleaned up, he was handed to the proud father, who gazed in wonder at the bundle in his arms. Bright blue eyes with the touch of violet stared up at him. They were just like his mother's. After a moment, the tiny face split into a wide grin and a giggle. To everyone's surprise and amazement, the force wrapped itself like a blanket around the giggling baby. The Force approved and welcomed the baby to the world.

Obiwan turned and took the baby to Shaina, who was watching her son intently. Slowly, she reached out for the baby and Obiwan set him in her arms. Tiny eyes stared up at their mother, studying her. She smiled at the child, drawing a giggle from him. She reached up with a finger and watched as little fingers closed around it in a tight grasp.

She looked up at Obiwan and said, "He has a tight grip."

Obiwan kneeled next to her. "What would you like his name to be?"

She looked down and then smiled. "Elik. It means 'warrior of the stars' in my language. Elik Qel-droma-Teta Kenobi."

"Where did Qel-droma-Teta come from?" asked Bant, a healer who had cared for Shaina for the last five months.

"It was my father's surname." Said Obiwan, thinking back to when he had snuck in to the records and found it out. "Keith Qel-droma-Teta marred Merlaina Kenobi, my mother. I was given my mother's name to hide me from my father's enemies. He was a senator and was killed shortly before my birth. My mother died during birth, from complications. When it was discovered I had Force potential, I was brought to the temple. Qel-droma-Teta was a family that went back to the Sith Wars and perhaps even farther than that. It is hard to know since records of that time is hard to find." Like a needle in a haystack, actually, since he had tried. "The name came from Ulic Qel-droma and an heiress of the Teta system. Their son's name was a combination of both. So the name has been passed down. I know this because I looked it up after, um, looking into my records."

A low chuckle brought their attention to Master Yoda. "Always sneaking into where he wasn't supposed to be, young Obiwan was. Even though locked with complicated codes they are." The little Jedi Master laughed then looked at the newborn. "A powerful name and lineage, young Elik has. Proud to bear the name of such a family, he shall be."

*******************heheheheheheheheheheheehe***********************

Two days later, Shaina gave into her sickness and passed away into the Force. Obiwan grieved her loss but was comforted by the fact that she was in the Force now, away from pain and sickness. There, she waited for him to join her. He looked forward to that day. Looking at his son, he vowed to raise Elik to be a great Jedi and man that she would be proud of. To her, he promised that he would raise and train their son up to so he would be ready for what was ahead. For there was dark days ahead. He could feel that. Young Elik would need all the strength he could get to fight the darkness.

But unknowing to the Jedi, the newborn had attracted someone else's attention. Darth Sidious, Sith Master, looked at Elik and saw something else. The power and potential the boy had made him a target. Sidious could feel that the boy's power even surpassed Anakin Skywalker's, the Chosen One. How this could be, he would have to find out. But there was no doubt Anakin Skywalker was the chosen one. Sidious knew that in the right hands, his, the power the boy had could make him one of the greatest Sith to ever exist, if not the greatest. There was so much potential in the boy. All there was needed now was to shape and mold the boy into what he would later become. And if the hands of the Sith was the ones to shape him, then there would be no doubt of the outcome.

Darth Sidious decided at that moment to have the life of Elik spared when the rest of the Jedi was to be killed. Anything otherwise would be a shameful waste. He will lure the boy in then capture him. Then he would break him to pieces and then take the pieces and create a Sith. Then Elik Qel-droma-Teta Kenobi will stand at his side. With both the Chosen One and the boy under his control, the galaxy would be his and nothing could stop him.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting Under the Tree

Chapter 3: Meeting Under the Tree

About 13 or so years later, after the rescue of Councilor Palapatine.

The Room of a Thousand Fountains was one of the beauties and wonders of the Jedi Temple. It was a great place to relax, mediate, and bath in the Force.

Near a large waterfall, there was a sort of an island. This 'island' was really not an island, but it seemed it. The island consisted of several trees and green grass, surrounded by a pond on three sides. In the middle stood a tall tree and in the branches sat a young boy of who looked to be about nine years old. But in reality, he was about thirteen. The mistake that many people make came out of the fact that he was really small for his age. But this did not bother him.

The boy's name was Elik Qel-droma-Teta Kenobi. But the Kenobi part was only known to a select few. This was because Elik was not supposed to be recognized as the son of Jedi Master Obiwan Kenobi. This was to avoid any conflict the knowledge may cause. After all, Jedi were not supposed to have children unless it is for special reasons. For example a Jedi could be a part of a people who had a hard time reproducing or was rare, like a dying species whose numbers only reached the hundreds.

But Elik knew who his father was. The only other ones who knew were Master Yoda, a number of the Healers, and the Jedi Council.

Elik had grown up under the attention of Master Yoda, Master Windu, and his father, who all helped to train and raise him. None complained. Even though Elik would never admit it, he was just like most of his age. Energetic, mischievous, and talkative. And even, the Force only knew how they came up with it, rather adorable.

He always gave a shudder when his thoughts turned to this. He was not adorable. Jedi were not supposed to be adorable! Adorable was in his eyes a term made for only cute little animals and girls. Not for Jedi students who just happened to be cursed with being short and small-boned.

Back to the subject, not even his father's former apprentice and friend Anakin Skywalker knew that he was Obiwan Kenobi's son. Anakin may suspect it, along with the rest of the Jedi Order, for Elik looked like his father. He had the same reddish-brown hair and had inherited the curse of being short. Also, he had the special attention of his father. Often when they were on Coruscant, Elik would accompany his father and Anakin to wherever they went. But these were only suspicions. It could not be proved. For all they knew, Elik could be a young initiate who had caught the eyes of a Jedi Master and if the rumors was true, was well on his way to being his father's next Padawan. If fact, that was the excuse that was made to keep Elik in the Temple, despite him being thirteen. He was the unofficial Padawan of Master Kenobi, so he didn't need to shipped to the Agricorps or elsewhere. Only the war was keeping that honor from being bestowed to him.

Elik suddenly remembered that his father was back. But he couldn't see him yet because of the Council. The Council probably was drilling his father about the tiniest details that had to do with Councilor Palpatine's rescue. What did Anakin do? Did he show any signs of behavior not befitting of a Jedi? Blah, blah, blah. Anakin was a great Jedi! One of the best, along with Masters Yoda, Windu, and his father. But the Council always found time to pick on him, to watch for signs of un-Jedi-like behavior.

Deep in his thoughts, Elik didn't notice the figure walking toward him until it was almost beside him. Hearing a slight noise, Elik looked up from his mute inspection of the ground and looked up. Grinning and making a whooping sound, he sprang into the arms of the grinning Anakin with a loud yell of "Anakin!"

Laughing, the tall Knight twirled him around in the air, despite the protests of the one being twirled.

"Anakin, I'm not three anymore! Put me down!" Elik commanded him. But only a low laugh was heard as his brother in all but blood started to tickle him.

"Heh…stop…please…not funny…" was heard between breathless laughter. Finally, the torture ended and Elik fought to regain his breath.

"Why did you do that for?" Elik mock-glared at the blond. "What did I do to deserve that?!"

"You were born."

"Hehe, very funny." Elik grinned at the Knight. "Where have you been? I heard you got back hours ago."

"Visiting an old friend." Anakin waved it off, to stop any more questions. "Now what type of adventures have you pulled since I've been gone?"

Elik knew he was avoiding the question but ignored that. He was used to it. After all, that was one of Anakin's habits when trying to escape answering a question. So, with glee, he started on a detailed list of all the pranks and tricks he had done since they last talked. He was glad to see Anakin. He noticed that Anakin seemed tired and a perpetual sense of something hung around him. He wondered at it. During the past years, whenever he had seen Anakin, the sense of something that was off was growing. But in the spur of the moment, he decided to put it off.

Anakin watched the small boy as he animatedly told of his deeds. He noticed that he had grown, though not by much. He realized just how much he had missed his little brother in the last few months. He had met the youngster when he was just a baby, introduced by Obiwan. From that moment, he had known what had attracted the Jedi. The sense of power and innocence that hung around the child drew at his senses. He had watched the boy grow. He was always awestruck at the things that the young Jedi could do, even at a young age.

Elik was around them so much that he had grown into a little brother, family. They were close. When nightmares had woken Elik up when he was smaller, Anakin had often been woken up too. Caring for the boy had helped with the almost overwhelming loneliness and homesickness that had come out of being away from his mother.

Watching his little brother now, he thought of the child that would soon enter the world that now rested in Padme. He was excited and slightly fearful of what was soon to come. He hoped the child was like Elik. Elik was innocent, even at this age.

Coming back from his thoughts, he grinned as Elik described one of his recent adventures of 'accidentally' dying one of the Jedi Knight's hair pink.


	3. Chapter 3: The Opening of the Door

Chapter 4: The Opening of the Door

**Sorry that I've not updated in a while. There was many things going on, like Christmas and after-Christmas-shopping!!!!!Hehe**

**Thank you all for such great reviews. I'm glad you all like it.**

**So, ****without anymore interruptions, here's the new chapter. Enjoy!**

The Jedi Temple was one of the wonders of the galaxy, in Elik's opinion. The Temple was also full of long forgotten passages, rooms, and corridors. These parts of the Temple were forgotten by most of the Jedi Order. Many of them had been empty for hundreds of years, after their use had run out.

Elik had made it his personal mission to find them all and uncover their mysteries. The top floors were the parts of the Temple that was seen and used. But if you went lower, below ground level and deeper, you would find rooms that were ignored or unknown to the Jedi who worked above. It was here that Elik would flee to, when he needed to be alone. Or if he needed a place to hide, for some reason or another.

The reason he could be seen down here today was escape. It wasn't his fault that Knight MeLoan's hair had been died bright pink and his skin blue. That was an accident. How was he supposed to know that two certain chemicals that were often used to wash the showers were not supposed to mixed.

Having to scrub the showers by hand was overkill. Along with his other punishments of cleaning some of the fountains. Grown-ups, in Elik's opinion, needed to have some fun now and again. Grown-ups often were too serious.

So that was why he was down here today. To escape from Knight MeLoan, who seemed determined to prove that Elik was the culprit. So, after seeing the Knight come out of the shower rooms with pink hair and blue skin and rage flowing from him, Elik ran.

He had discovered the ancient parts of the Temple years ago, as he explored the Temple. As far as he knew, he was the only one who knew of it. And he could not tell anyone else. When he wanted to tell his friends, several things happened. One, he got distracted and forgot to say anything. Two, he could not say anything. This was the strangest thing. He could not say what was on his mind. It was like something was holding him back, silencing him. Three, his friends would not hear. He would say it out loud, but no one would hear. He could yell and scream it, but it was like their ears had been shut. Something didn't want him to tell anyone else. Who or what, he did not know. So he had given up trying long ago.

Eventually, these halls had come to be a haven to him. A secret that no one else knew. In fact the door that led down here was in plain sight, but he seemed to be the only one to see it. The others walked by it without a glance.

Elik had made his way down six floors already with one destination in mind. The other day he had found a locked door that had made him determined to find his way in. The door was at the end of what he had come to call the Crystal Room. The reason for this was that beautiful crystals of every shape, size, and color could be seen in the walls. Each crystal gave out the sense of the Force. Elik was curious, because he could not recall crystals such as these that gave out the Force like these.

Touching a large purple colored one in the wall on his right, he felt a sense of power that lay in each of the crystals. They all had a purpose that had been long forgotten by the Jedi.

When Elik had found the room, he had actually felt something, or some things, in the room reach out to him and welcome him. He had been surrounded by a rainbow of the Force. More than one thing had reached out to him, and each seemed to be represented by different colors. The colors were for the most part invisible, but some were visible to the eye. One thing he knew, this room was created for a reason, and he was going to find out why.

At the end of the room, surrounded by the largest crystals in the room, stood a gigantic door. It was black and made out of a stone that he had never seen before. There was no handles or known ways to open it. It was smooth and cold. So cold. The stone felt like ice compared to everything else.

This was the door that Elik now stood in front of. Strangely, since he had first seen it, the door or what lay behind pulled at him. It beckoned him. Just like last time, Elik seemed to go into a type of trance. His whole body felt numb.

But something was different than last time. What he could not say.

Slowly, almost without thinking about it, he put his hand on the door. He expected it to be cold as ice, but it wasn't. What was going on? All the other times it had been, but now it seemed warm to the touch. Actually, it was getting hotter. That was weird.

This was starting to creep him out. This was not normal. But despite his feelings, he could not stop. Something was drawing him to the door. And now that it had him there, it wouldn't let him go until he did what it wanted.

Slowly, not knowing what he was doing, he moved his hand. Almost in a daze, he watched his fingers draw strange symbols on the door. They stood up against the smooth stone, like he had drawn them with charcoal. Then, as soon as he drew a fifth symbol, they began the glow.

The door opened silently. Behind them lay pitch darkness. Elik, in the same trance-like state, stepped through. And he knew no more.

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When he came to, he was on the ground in the Crystal Room. He groaned. His whole body ached. It was painful to even move.

Eventually, ignoring the pain, he drew himself up. The door was closed like nothing had happened. There was no writing, no sign to show that what had just happened had actually happened. Perhaps he had imagined the whole thing. But then how had he ended up on the ground?

He glanced at the time that was part of a device he had around his wrist. The device was actually something he had made. It had a datapad on it, the time (standard), and many other functions. **(AN: I imagined this to be like a little computer that was the size of a watch, but it can hold much more data than the average ocputer, ipod, etc.)**

He swore and jumped up, ignoring his body's protest. He was late. He also was so going to be dead. Just his luck, the first lightsaber match with his father since his father got back, and he was going to be late.

With one last confused glance at the door, Elik ran out of the room.

Behind him, in the now empty room, the door stood. The door was no longer black, but a swirling mass of colors. A few moments later, the door disappeared. Its task was now accomplished.

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**AN: So how did you like it? Please review. I promise it won't take as long to update the next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4: Master, Knight, Student

End of Innocence chapter 5

**Thank you all for the reviews. Sorry it has taken so long for me to update. Please forgive me (insert puppy eyes here).**

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Elik was a dark streak as he raced through the corridors, almost knocking over several Jedi who wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. In fact, he did knock over a group of Jedi younglings, just barely out of the crèche (**AN: Did I spell this right?**). The four girls screamed in fright as he ran into them. They were knocked to the ground, but Elik was not. He yelled a sorry at them, but he wasn't sure if they had heard him.

He was so dead. So very dead. This was one of the many times that he was going to be late for a match. He had meant to be there on time, but the door had happened. But that mystery will have to wait to be unraveled later. Now, he was so very late.

He began to plan the best way of getting out of a lecture. Speaking of lectures, he should probably take the short cut. The normal way to the training areas was littered with Jedi Masters (*cough* Master Windu *cough*) who would love for a chance to stop him and lecture, blah, blah, blah. That could not happen, because he was late enough as he is.

Rounding a corner, he ducked into a connecting passageway. This he continued to run down, until he came to a door. This opened as he slowed down. Arriving into a small room, he chose a door on his left. This opened to reveal his shortcut.

Elik had spent a long time finding all the different ways of getting to and fro in the Temple. He had discovered this sweet shortcut a while back. It opened to a small room which in turn opened to the back of the training areas. Heading to the lightsaber arenas, Elik tried to slow his rapid heartbeat and appear like he had not been running here.

He came to the room he was looking for and entered. There was his father waiting for him.

He admired and loved his father beyond anything else. He considered him to be the greatest example of what a Jedi Master should be, except Master Yoda of course. Strong, powerful, yet always ready to look for a different way out of things besides fighting. He was a great warrior, yet a suburb negotiator. In fact, he was known as the Negotiator in the war.

Elik watched as his father performed one smooth, flawless move after another. He flowed from one form to another, not even missing a step. He wanted to be that good. He was okay with the lightsaber, he guessed, but not even close to being that good.

Obiwan noticed his son come in but gave no sign of it. He felt the almost nonexistent racing of his heart, indicating he had been running.

His little Procrastinator. That was one of his pet names for his son, and one of the less embarrassing. Elik tended to wait until the last moment to do something, in this case get to the match.

Slightly 'hearing' his thoughts about him being average with the lightsaber, Obiwan thought of another thing that Elik needed to work on. This somewhat low self-esteem issue needed to be corrected. It was better than it was, but not perfect. Elik was a natural with the saber, even though he didn't think it. He just needed to stop comparing himself to everyone else around him.

Finally, Obiwan slowed down and executed one last move before stopping. He turned around to look at his son.

"Are you going to come in, or stay over there for the match?" He said.

Elik realized he was still only about a foot into the room, the door behind him. He faintly blushed in embarrassment, and then came the rest of the way in. The door slid shut behind him.

"Yeah, can't have you catch a chill now can I, old man?" He grinned cheekily at the Jedi Master.

"Brat." Obiwan said affectionly, with a hint of exasperation in his tone. "I am not old. Just older than you."

"As old as the stars." This came from the blond haired knight who came striding in. He grinned at his former master. "Soon you'll be exchanging old memories with our favorite Master Yoda in the retirement home."

"Now I know where he gets the overwhelming temptation to call me old. He's been spending way too much time with you."

"Me, master?" Anakin said this with a too much innocent face. He opened his eyes wide, showing false shock. "Why, I will never even think of teaching this wonderful, sweet, innocent boy to call you old. Never mind that it is the truth." The last sentence was said in a low whisper.

Obiwan snorted but let it go. He turned to Elik.

"Got your lightsaber?"

When he nodded, "Good, go through the forms. Let's see what you remember."

Nodding, Elik went to the center of the training room and turned the 'saber on. A blue-ish green glow came from the top. Then concentrating, he started to move.

Anakin and Obiwan moved to the side of the room and watched him.

"Where have you been? I tried contacting you three times." Obiwan asked him in a low tone, still watching the moving figure.

"Visiting Padme. She asked about you."

"Oh, she did."

"She wants you to visit too. You are still one of her greatest friends, and she has some questions about the outer ring for you."

"Whatever for? And why didn't she ask you this?"

"Apparently she wants someone else's opinion, not just mine." Anakin sounded slightly offended.

Obiwan grinned at him. "Relax. That is the way she is. She needs more than just one view to more correctly review the situation."

"Obiwan, stop. You're making my brain hurt with that smart talk of yours."

"What brain?" He avoided the swat with a laugh.

They went back to observing Elik. Obiwan had still been paying attention, but he had not seen any errors. The small boy smoothed through the motions with ease. He was truly a natural at this. But not just this. Anything physical was done with perfected ease.

Anakin watched his 'little brother'. He was glad to be here, not just for Padme but for Elik too. He had missed him.

But the dream he had had the night before still bothered him. It wasn't just Padme he had seen, crying out as she was dying during childbirth, but Elik had been there too. Not in the same sequence, it seemed, but somewhere else. He stood on a balcony, at first, watching something below in absolute horror. Than it changed, to him next to a wall, crying. There was blood and dirt on his clothes. At the last moment, before the dream ended, he had looked up. The look in his eyes made Anakin cringe now. It was a look of absolute terror, horror, and betrayal. Then the dream had ended with him waking up.

He was haunted by the look he had seen in the boy's eyes. In those eyes, there was no innocence left. That had been swept away by whatever had happened.

Anakin looked at Elik. He wanted to believe it was just a dream, but he knew better. It was just like the dream with his mother in it. This time, though, nothing was going to happen. He will not lose Padme, his child, or Elik.

He will not allow himself to fail this time.

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**AN: Sorry it was so short. So here it is. Voila! (Excuse me if it is not spelled right. I'm not perfect.)**

**In this story, as you noticed, Anakin's dream is slightly different. I just added something onto it. **

**Don't worry, the Door will be fully explained sometime. Just be patient. You'll see something next chapter, or the chapter after. I haven't fully decided the order of a few things yet. **

**Please review. **


	5. Chapter 5: Temple Prank Team

End of Innocence chapter 6

**Thanks again for the reviews. **

**I want to ask a big favor to all those out there. If any of you know how to add accent marks to letters, can you please let me know. It would be a big help. Thank you much. **

**I bow to all those faithful who are patient enough to put up with me, the-master-of-all-slow-updating. Hehe. (*bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, + two billion more bows* add evil laugh here!!!!**

**Whoops, why didn't you tell me that I was sidetracking. Now, onto the story.**

**(Audience goes wild at this point)**

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Some days later after the match and around lunchtime, Elik could be found in his room. Around him were his friends. As they happily ate the lunch they had snuck out of the cafeteria, they planned their next prank.

Elik loved pranks, and naturally found friends who loved pranks too when they were all in the crèche. (**AN: Just because there is an accent mark there doesn't mean I know how to do them. The computer did that for me.**) So, since then, they had become the Temple's Prank Team, TPT for short. But the existence of the team was a secret, because for some reason most if not all their pranks were blamed on others. That's because they were never (except for one time) caught. And the only reason they were caught was because Elik got caught by Anakin one time. But for reasons Anakin did not share, he had kept that to himself. But he didn't know, or at least Elik hoped not, of their Team.

Elik was naturally the leader of the little group. To the team, he was King. He was the cunning mastermind of the group. He came up with all the pranks, who to prank, and when, and how. But the pranks the Team pulled were not by far the only ones that he orchestrated. There was many more. Such as the incident of turning Knight McLoan pink and blue. But in fact it was all part of his master plan. Whenever he thought of it, he tried to restrain from rubbing his hands together and laughing manically (**sp?**).

You see, by doing the couple other two dozen harmless pranks or so, he effectively made him invisible. How, he wouldn't know. But often as one prank happened, one of the pranks that the Team did together went off at the same time. So that made everyone look for two pranksters, if not more. Somehow, many of the Jedi didn't even think that he was capable of doing such a thing as a prank. To them, he showed himself to be a model Jedi student. He was respectful and polite. He worked hard at his studies, and excelled at lightsaber practice. He had the makings of a wonderful diplomat and negotiator. So they didn't suspect him of being anything more. Only a few people, mainly his father, Anakin, his friends and Master Yoda knew his whole nature, not just the front he showed the rest of the Jedi. But they were all okay with it. Especially his father, Anakin, and his friends.

The next prankster in the little group was Antoni Kitc-Chun. He was Elik's age, only a few months older. His father was a senator of the planet Telos.

He was the nephew of Bruck Chun, even though very few knew this. Most had forgotten Bruck, the old childhood rival of Obiwan Kenobi, but not all. There was a few. Obiwan thought of him a lot, his rivalry with the boy, all the incidents between them, and the regret of all that. If he could change the past, he would. He had no doubt that Bruck, if events hadn't started, could have been successful of letting go of the anger and negative emotions, just like he had.(**1**)

Antoni looked a lot like his deceased uncle in fact. He had the same white hair and general overall facial structure. He had light blue eyes that went with the hair, and tanned skin. He, though, didn't have the usual Chun temperament. He was slow to anger, and calm most of the time. But he had a streak of mischievousness that ran through him and showed by the glint in his eyes if anyone bothered to look deep enough.

He was kinda like the second-in-command of the Team, but not officially. He was happy not follow Elik despite his family's past behaviors. Because of his calm and polite nature, people did not suspect him of his real nature.

Jedi, unfortunately (but not for them), had a big flaw to their own Order in general. Maybe it was the trust that many Jedi shared with their own kind. They were safe here. But if anyone really looked, they weren't. The Temple wasn't a safe haven anymore, if it had ever been. The influence of the Sith were here too. Dissention, arguments, and ill feelings were just under the surface of many here. The war was taking its effect.

But the true nature of both Elik and Antoni were just under the surface, if anyone bothered to look. They were not perfect. Both were flawed in many ways.

Antoni was rather insensitive to emotions. He said what he thought, most of the time, and usually didn't think before speaking. So thus, there was a lot of instances of hurt feelings because of this. He was a perfectionist in many things. If something wasn't the way he like it, like his lightsaber moves for instance, he pushed himself in order to get it.

Elik tended to be impulsive sometimes. He often did things with thinking first. And he was also probably a little too sensititve. This being because of his rather low self esteem. He also didn't pay too much attention to himself. So if he was hurt, he tended to not say anything in hopes that no one will notice. He pushed himself too hard. There was many a time in the past that he had stayed in the hospital wing because of this little habit of his to work himself to exhaustion.

Elik also felt that some things he could do was not befitting of a Jedi. He had a nagging suspicion that something wrong was wrong with him. He didn't know what. It was like a black hole inside him, eating away at him. Thus adding more to his insecurity. On the outside he seemed confident, but not on the inside.(**2**)

The last member of the Team was a small girl by the name of Lana Sphinx. She was a little redhead with green eyes that had a quick mind.(**3**) She was a year younger than the two boys, but because of her ability level had classes with them.

Despite her somewhat delicate appearance, she wasn't someone to mess with. She was quick, a great fighter, and above all had a devious mind. Cross her, and you may find yourself with more than you can handle.

Lana was almost the opposite of the other two in some ways. She was confident and had a quick temper. She was ready to fight to defend herself or her friends. She ruled the two boys often like a little queen, or tried to. But she was happy to leave the real leadership to Elik though.

Both boys loved her dearly. She was under their protection, in other words. No one harmed her, or they would pay. They were her big 'brothers' in all but blood.

But there also was a little twist to her. Despite the temper and readiness to fight, she was innocent. This shown through her eyes. So taking this, they tried to protect it for as long as possible. Little did they know, they could not protect her innocence for long, or theirs.

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So here they were. Sitting on Elik's bed and just acting like a little family. They laughed and joked while trying not to choke on their food. They giggled, talked, and teased. Little knowing that soon, they would not laugh with such innocence again. When they played around with each other, it would not be with such naive ness. They will have seen the darkside of the galaxy, and could never go back.

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In the Senate building, a pair of eyes were turned toward the Temple with a glint of glee. Soon, the day that had been coming for ages would come. The dawn will set (figuratively speaking of course) on the Jedi and then the Temple shall be forever empty.

His soon-to-be apprentice was coming into his hands. His fear for his wife and 'little brother' was driving him to the darkside, for a way to save them. Now, all he needed was the set the perfect trap. Then both the Chosen One and Elik will be his.

He had watched Elik all these years. The boy was growing into a fine young man. He showed skills and abilities that most Jedi three times his age didn't have. Of course, the Jedi didn't see most of them. They were hidden in plain sight.

He had a plan. For years he had been working on it and it was a work of genius. In case the boy didn't want to willingly fight him, he had a few 'benefits' for joining him. He had to have him serve him willingly, or not at all. The second option was not a choice however. He will avoid that possibility for as long as he can.

Of course, he had no doubt that the boy will bow down to him. The 'benefits' he offering was too much to resist. Elik Kenobi-Qel-Droma-Teta was born to be what he will become. He could never be a Jedi.

The man who these thoughts belonged to felt the small tingles of the nightmare that his apprentice was going through. It was just starting again. He soaked in the anguish and heartache that the young man was releasing into the Corescanti air. Perfect.

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**Well, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it. Took me enough time to type it. Poor little fingers! **

**(1)Author's Note: I have always liked Bruck. I think how he is portrayed in many fanfics is unfair. In my opinion, with a little help, he could have overcome his problems. But events spiraled out of control and he got involved with the schemes of Xanatos. Speaking of Xanatos, I like him too. But that is off the subject (why do I keep getting sidetracked). Bruck had many of the same problems that Obiwan had. Anger, fear, etc. I'll bet that many Jedi before him had the same problems and overcame them. Bruck is a rather cool character. I think he is rather cute, myself. Plus, I love the color of his hair (drat, did it again!). So anyway, be nice to him. He doesn't have to be a totally evil person. **

**(2) Any guesses? I will give 500,000,000 worth of monopoly money to anyone who can guess correctly, or maybe even close. Okay, just kidding. But still guess please. **

**(3) Think of a miniature version of Mara Jade. That would fit her pretty good. Looks and temper.**

**Also, I don't quite know how much time passed in cannon from the beginning scenes in ROTS, but I'm assuming it was a couple of months. This chapter is set about two weeks after the Jedi 'rescued' Palpatine. **


	6. Chapter 6: War Zone

End of Innocence chapter 7: War Zone

**Hello, my dear readers. Again, thanks for all the reviews. **

**I think I was on a sugar high when I wrote the last chapter. If you didn't notice, look at the beginning. I'm probably still on a sugar high. **

**Sorry it has taken so long to update. I had a big project to do for English, and I just got it done last night! Yippee! Another plus, I'm passing! **

**Okay, I think I'm diverging again! So, here it is…**

**Okay, another teensy winnsy thing. This update takes place some time after the last. The beginning is before the whole thing in Palpatine's office (you know what I'm talking about), then it moves on to some time later. So be prepared.**

**Theonlythingholdingupmyhaloismyhornsandseemynicebeautifultailandpitchfork!!**

**Okay, just ignore that. I had the craziest urge to throw that in. On we go!**

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It was night on Coruscant. Or the closest night could be on such a planet. Of course, there was no stop to the busy atmosphere. It was just as active at these times of the days then any other. But in the Jedi Temple, it was time for sleep.

Everywhere in the Temple, the was a sense of the Force covering everything and everyone, giving peace to many. The Force knew that something terrible was going to happen to most of its children here soon. Only a few will not be joining it soon. And those who were destined to not do so will have the hardest of them all. Their lives will be destroyed, shattered with betrayal. The Force knew that they will be hard-pressed to survive, to adapt. But this night, they will rest.

The Force soothed and calmed its children. It waved away the nightmares and disturbing dreams that so often plagued many.

But in part of the Temple, in the South Wing, there was one whose nightmares could not be soothed away. A small boy was tossing in his sleep. This unfortunately was not an unusual occurrence. Even though he didn't know what they were, he had been plagued with visions in his sleep lots of times. To him, they were nightmares that just refused to go away. But when he woke in the morning, he rarely even remembered them.

This one was particularly fierce.

**Dream sequence**

In it, Elik was standing on a green-forested planet. All around him, he could hear the noises of the forest. Looking up, he saw a large orangish planet. In front of him was an old temple. It was tall and majestic, even in ruin. But from it, he felt _something._ Something was in there, something as ancient as it was evil.

Without knowing why, he knew he had to go in there. That _something _he felt was holding another prisoner. There was a tug at him, directing him to go in. Without looking at the ship behind him, he moved forward. In the temple he went, down to a large room. At the center of the room was a low dias. On that dias lay a young man.

The vision stopped right here and just as suddenly went to another.

He was looking from the eyes of someone else. He lay leaning against a wall for balance. He very doubted he could stand on his own right now. He stared at his shaking hands, trying to get what he had almost done out of his mind. He had almost killed his brother. His brother who had stood beside him for so many years, offering comfort and strength. The only one who had believed he could change. That he could come back to them.

And he would of killed him, if not for that strange man who had come out of nowhere between them. That man who looked so darn familiar that he should be able to place him. Those eyes. Those orbs of seemingly swirling colors of blue and green that had caught his. In them was a question, and such deep other feelings that spoke to him. Great sorrow, maturity, determination, and anger did not belong to such eyes. But they had pierced him, stripping away at his soul.

He then saw what would of happened if the stranger had not intervened. He saw the corpse of his dear little brother laid out, with their friends grieving. He had fled before he could see what would have happened to him. He fled to his ship and ordered his servants to take off. They had lost. That much was evident as the scenes playing out below was seen. There was too much resistance.

Footsteps could be heard coming near him. He pulled himself together and put a cold-indifferent mask on. It would do him no good to be seen like this.

The creature that came around the corner bowed.

"My Lord, we are approaching base."

"How long until we reach the surface?" He snapped, annoyed at the creature for some reason he couldn't fathom.

"Three minutes, my Lord."

"Good. Drop me off, then wait on the other side of the planet for my call." Stating this, he swept past the creature, struggling to keep the mask on.

He wasn't looking forward to telling his master what had happened. Technically, the man wasn't his master, but he didn't know what else to call him. Not a friend, certainly. The man was planning something for a long time, and he had a nasty feeling that that something involved him and a lot of pain.

And that something was going to happen soon. He had a slight feeling that it was not a bad idea to leave something if he didn't return. So, he had recorded the last of his story (even the recent events and almost-events), lessons, and advice on the cube he had been preparing for a while. When he had finished, he had put some messages for his subjects back 'home' and sent it all off. In the package he had sent off was everything that was needed in case of his death or disappearance. The cube was for his son. In it were lessons in the Force and everything else he had ever learn. This was to insure that his son learned something, away from the enemy. He did not want his old friends to teach his son. They would turn him against everything his father had stood for. He had also sent off a special something for his son, with instructions on what it was and who was not to _ever _see it.

He didn't like doing all this. It gave him a bad feeling. But it had to be done.

As he stepped out of the ship and strolled to headquarters, the ship let off a low sound as it lifted off the wait for his call.

Without looking back, he strolled to his master's domain. When he reached the room the man was in, he stopped.

Against the other wall, looking out at the forest, was the devil himself. He even had a temper to match it. He knew what was expected from him. Even though they were technically equals, the other loved to play games like this. And because nothing really came of it, he didn't complain.

"You failed." It was said calmly, but there was something off. The darkness seemed to hum at the words, emphasizing the point.

"Yes." That was all that was needed to be said. There was no point in denying it.

The other was once again silent. This was getting rather alarming. He should be getting killed, punished, or in the very least lectured. But the other was taking it calmly.

He started to back away slowly. The Force started to scream at him all of a sudden, but it was too late. Pain like he had never felt before was flooding through his bones, white hot pain that seared away everything else.

He was on the ground, clutching his head and withering. Begging the other, at least in his mind, to stop. He couldn't scream, couldn't talk, or any noise at all. Slowly, what seemed like hours later, the pain started to turn into numbness. He was rapidly losing all feeling in his body.

He looked up at the man who had turned around to look at him triumphantly with dark eyes. Their eyes met as the man started to laugh, a cruel deep laugh.

"I knew you could fail, so I planned an ultimate plan." As his eyes grew wide in shock and then anger, the man continued, still examining him. "A plan that I have been thinking of for a long time now. And you are the key. You will be the bait, because that fool brother of yours still wants to 'save' you. And save you he shall, in a way."

He laughed again, at the look of terror that was starting to appear in his victim's face.

"But, now my friend, I will have to say goodbye."

Then he knew nothing more.

**end dream sequence**

Elik shot up in bed, panting. This time he remembered the dream in full clarity. Who was the man? There was many questions he wanted solved. But he can't solve them now.

After a while, he lay back down. And soon, fell asleep.

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Elik couldn't concentrate. For the past few hours, he found it impossible to do. There was an overlaying sense of doom that had come over the Temple a few hours ago. Something big had happened, but not something good. This was something very, very bad.

For some reason, he had felt that he needed to come here. Here was a high balcony that overlooked the main entranceway. The balcony was old, created for some use long forgotten as more convenient ways were invented. So here he sat, going over a datacard for a test. The history of the Gaana System. How boring. Nothing exciting or relatively exciting had _ever_ happened there! Oh, wait, there was the mountain-goat-or-something-like-it-200-years-ago. Now that was exciting! Some farmer had stolen some creature from another and had sparked more raiding and stealing of the same creature from other farms. Blah, Blah.

He looked up as something caught his attention. Something was wrong. He stretched out and then recoiled. He had just felt something that was full of darkness.

Crouching down, he reached out more carefully this time. He felt hundreds, or it seemed, of the same kind of mind imprinted over and over. Only one thing he knew felt like that. Clones. But what were clones doing entering the Temple.

The first death made him fall down totally to the balcony floor in shock and horror. Then another and another came. What in the Force was happening?!

Fearfully, he poked his head up, and immediately wished he hadn't. There were clones everywhere! And all of them were killing Jedi! Every second was full of screams of terror and pain, and the sense of death. Why? This was the question that he was asking over and over in his mind, silently screaming it at those who were murdering his family. Tears ran down his face, and he made no attempt to stop them.

His blurry eyes suddenly caught a familiar figure. It was Master Mecur, the hominoid that had first taught him the basics of the lightsaber when he was in the crèche. The Master was moving among the clones, defending himself and two young girls behind of him. He was doing well, showing the familiar movements that Elik had always admired. But, from the side, came a black cloaked figure with a blue lightsaber. Elik gave a small relieved sigh, then gasped. Instead of helping, the traitor suddenly sliced down Master Mecur. The fallen Master fell, with blank staring eyes.

Elik gasped, and he started to cry even more. He scrambled backward, his foot catching the discarded datapad and sending it crashing to the floor. It landed near a clone, which looked up. The clone saw Elik, who was standing in shock, and fired. Elik ducked and ran back. He started to run, not caring where he was going for a while.

Then he rounded a corner, and stood in horror. There in front of him were ten clones, cutting down some of his classmates in front of him. In the group was Lana, her green eyes widened in fear. She was one of the few left. In her shaking hands was a lightsaber, lit and ready to use. But she didn't look like she was in any mood to use it. She stood in shock, terror, and horror as her crèche mates were killed in front of her.

As one of the clones started to bring up his weapon to shoot her, Elik felt a rush of anger, fear, and hatred flow over him. Anger at those who were doing this, fear his and his friends' lives, and hatred to the clones. Time seem to stand still, as his lightsaber sprang into his hand. And then he was flying at the clones, who were still frozen. Either time had slowed or he was moving faster that it. He dived in and began the cut down the attackers. They soon realized what was happening, but it was too late.

When Elik sliced through the last, he turned to find Lana staring at him. Then the magnitude of what he had done caught up with him. He stared in horror at the bodies of his victims, appalled at his own actions.

But this didn't last long, because more clones were coming around the corner. Seeing them coming, Elik grabbed Lana's hand and dragged her away. Soon, she regained control and was running beside him.

Elik now had something he could do. He had to find his friends before it was too late. As he was running, he felt out for Antoni's location and found him. He was among the fountains.

Any lone clones that they came upon was cut down by Elik's blade. He didn't care any more. They deserved what they had coming. As did all who were doing this.

Elik stopped and dragged Lana down next to him. They were at the top of what was a ramp, and down below them were dozens of clones killing even more Jedi. But there were only a few Jedi left. The only reason Elik stopped was because the traitor was right below. He didn't know it, but Elik had formed a 'shield' around the two of them, making them invisible to the Force.

The traitor had their back turned to them and was speaking to two clones. As soon as the rest of the Jedi in the room fell, the other clones turned to listen.

"Do not, repeat, and do not kill him. My master wants him alive and unharmed." This was hissed to the troops. But that was not what made Elik stiffen and almost cry out. It was Anakin.

He could recognize that voice anywhere. What was happening? This had to be a nightmare. Anakin couldn't do this. Not to his family. Why?

Anakin's next move shocked Elik even more, if that was possible. He held out a hologram. Shown in it was Elik. This was a very recent picture.

"Do not kill or harm him. You will die if you even have him harmed in any way."

Elik was frozen. No, no, no. He cried this in his mind. That was not Anakin. This was a nightmare. This was not happening. And whoever had sent Anakin wanted him alive and unharmed. Why him? Why? Why? He had trusted Anakin. Anakin was his older brother he had never had. His teacher, friends, mentor, and brother. He was family. Why was this happening?

Elik had frozen in shock, horror, and grief. Lana saw him and knew that they had to move. She was shocked that Master Skywalker could do something like this, but she was focused on staying alive. She knew she would not be left alive if they were captured.

The group below had moved on, but not Anakin. Suddenly, his head turned and saw them above. Whatever Elik had done to protect them had fallen. He smiled when his yellow rimmed eyes fell on Elik.

"Finally, there you are. We've been looking everywhere for you. Why don't you come join me? It would be far easier." The monster that had replaced Anakin said this in barely contained glee. His hypnotizing voice washed over Elik. In the state he was in, Elik was in no condition to refuse. Slowly, Elik started to stand up.

"No!" Lana yelled this in panic, knowing that she couldn't do anything.

Elik was walking forward when someone jumped at him, grabbing his arms and holding him back. Anakin snarled in rage, but the green blade of another Jedi swung at him, forcing him to block. The Jedi he was fighting was a master, who had accepted his fate. But he would not let this monster have a child.

Thankful for the distraction provided, Lana and Antoni (who had grabbed him) dragged him off. There was another figure behind them, a young Jedi Knight by the name of Jax Pavan who guarded their backs. Onward they dragged the uncomplaining Elik, who had fallen into a state of shock.

With Jax guarding them, they pulled Elik to a door. This opened to reveal the part of the Temple that Elik had 'adopted' as his own. As the door shut, they moved forward, going into one of the rooms. This room led to a corridor which they went down. Finally, they sat down when they heard the water above them. Now all they could do was wait. Jax grabbed Elik and held him. The shell shocked boy whimpered and grabbed his robes.

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It was some time later that Jax felt the presence of another Jedi. All three children had fallen into a troubled sleep, leaning against him.

He didn't know how long they had been there. Hours at least. But he knew it was time to move on. Nothing was being accomplished here. So, Jax woke Lana and Antoni up. He let Elik sleep in his arms. He indicated that is was time to move on.

They made their way out of their hiding place, into the company of two Jedi who were ecstatic to see them alive.

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When the four came out, Obiwan was overjoyed to see them. That didn't even began to describe how he felt when they appeared. When he had seen them, Elik had woken up and rushed into his arms with sobs of relief.

He held his son to him, thankful that he was alive. He had been so afraid. But now his fears were put to rest, and new ones came to light. What had his son gone through?

Questions like this ran around in his head, until finally he couldn't take it anymore. He had to know who had done this.

He didn't listen to Yoda's warnings to not look, and paid the price. How could Anakin…? Grief, and deep hurting betrayal settled in his heart. Now he knew what his son had seen. He knew he had seen Anakin do terrible things.

Looking at his son, then at the other three survivors, he knew what he had to do. It will hurt, but he had to do it for all their sakes.

Softly, he called out his son's name.

"Dad?" A low, terrified voice came. Hearing that broke Obiwan's heart. He sounded like a small child, who had been in a war zone. And he had been in a war zone. His innocence and way that he had viewed the world was forever gone now. He was no longer a child.

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**Wow, that was a long chapter. I didn't mean it to be, but I couldn't' stop writing. So same as always, review please. **

**Peek view of next chapter: Father and son separate, perhaps forever?, Palpatine is angry, and new beginnings.**


	7. Chapter 7: The More Things Change

**End of Innocence chapter 8: The More Things Change**

**AN: OMG!!! I am SO sorry for not updating for the longest time. I have not forgotten this story. Please forgive me. **

**I had to refresh my memory to what I have written already for this story and was thus looking through the last chapters. Wow. This was my first story that I posted on and I can see that my writing has gotten so much better. **

**I have not forgotten my other story "Not So Alone" but I've been so swamped with finals (icky torture I hate school but alas….anyone who is in high school, do not complain about your work load. Just think of how much you will have in college, and the misery I am going through aka Hell Week. You lucky high schoolers.)**

**So a brief recap. (I'm planning to go back and edit and revise the previous chapters, so they aren't so short). Elik's background and how he came to be, then scenes showing him with his father Obiwan, Anakin, and a few others. Then the plotting of the Sith in the background. Then the temple scene where Elik sees his 'big brother' destroys all in his way. Elik, the Knight Jax Pavan, and his friends are able to find a place to hide where the attackers couldn't find them.  
**

**(Still bad grammar despite the hell known as English class, so bare with me)**

Obiwan looked down at his young son that he was holding in his arms. Even though he knew he had to let go soon, since they had to get out of there before they were discovered, he didn't want to. He just wanted this moment to last, because the Force was telling him this was going to be the last time he saw his son for a very long time. But time was short. Looking down at his son, he saw that he looked much younger than his thirteen years. The things he had seen had been undoubtedly horrible, and Obiwan knew that his childhood was over. He had been thrown from the relatively safety of his little world, where even though he knew there was a war out there he had never thought that something like this would happen. Things were changing and fast.

Looking up at the other children, he knew that they were going to grow up just as fast. If they survived, that was. He tried to thrown the betrayal and all his other feelings to the back of his mind for the moment, as he focused on the present. His eyes focused on the young knight in front of him, holding the other children (briefly he wondered how his back could take the weight). "Knight Pavan, thank you for protecting them."

Jax just nodded his head in response, not trusting himself to speak. As a horrific thought came to him, he was forced to though. "Master Kenobi, the clones…." He swallowed, "they were ordered to capture Elik alive, sir."

That caught Obiwan's immediate attention. Why would they…"Did they say why?"

Jax shook his head in the negative. "No…but it was Sk….him that said it. I don't think they said why, just that he wants Elik alive. They even showed a holo-picture of him."

Obiwan was puzzled, and very worried. Whatever Palpatine wanted Elik for it wouldn't be that good. This was very worrying. Whatever Palpatine's plans were, they must be stopped. At all costs. He sighed. "Jax, I am putting the children in your care. You must protect them, especially Elik. Palpatine must not get a hold of Elik."

"Jax, I know I can depend on you to get the children out of here. There has to be a ship somewhere…I wonder." Obiwan trailed off, reaching out with the force just enough to check. "Yes, somehow they missed it. Jax, there is a hidden hangar below the Temple. Very few Jedi knows…knew of it, and certainly A…Vader didn't. The ship is still there. It is ready to fly and enough food and supplies have been stocked that will last at least two months. I need you to take the ship and the children, and then find a good place to hide. It must not be anywhere anyone else knows of. There are several locations, ancient Jedi and Sith temples and training grounds that might work."

"Sith?"

"There are numerous places around the galaxy where the ancient Sith Order used to train. They are abandoned now and very few discovered by others. While they might now be the best place for a young Jedi to be, they are safe. They would be the last place the Sith would look. But just in case, there is one location that would be the best. You'll know what I'm talking about. Go there, and stay away from the rest of the galaxy for a while. You'll also find copies of all the information that is in the Jedi Archives here in that location. Use a number of memory crystals and put them around in the different locations. Use force shields to keep unwanted thieves away."

Jax nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The two children in his arms had fallen into a partial doze, and even though his arms ached he didn't move them. He wasn't that good with children, or rather had not really gotten any experience. Now, he would have to look after three of them. Three children who had just witnessed a massacre of their Jedi family. On top of that, if that wasn't enough, he had to avoid all those that wanted all of them dead (or captured in the case of Elik, but he didn't know what was worse). He just had his work cut out for him, didn't he?

Obiwan gently shook his son. He didn't have that much time left, he had to leave soon. "Elik look at me." Eventually, he was able to get his son to look up at him. He sighed. "Elik, I'm…going to have to leave."

"Leave! No, you can't…"

"Elik, look at me. I'm going to have to go stop Vader. I'm….the only one who can. You need to go with Knight Pavan. Do whatever he tells you to do, alright?" Elik nodded.

Obiwan swallowed painfully. "I will always love you, son. Never forget that."

"I won't daddy. Are you going to meet up with us daddy?"

Obiwan knew he probably wouldn't be able to. "I…don't know, son, I don't know. Just obey Knight Pavan, okay. I love you." He had to leave now. They all did. He looked up at Jax. "I'll take you to the ship."

He never caught back up with them. Obiwan faced his former apprentice above the fires of pools of lava. There, Vader was defeated but Obiwan was not able to bring himself to destroy his former apprentice. He left, and took Padme. Padme later died after giving birth despite all efforts to save her. The twins were left orphaned by the death of their mother and Vader was all but dead. If he would survive Obiwan did not know. He had sensed Palpatine arriving at the last moment, so it was possible for him to have survived. If he had, he was still not going to be trusted with his children. Leia was taken by Bail Organa and adopted in to the royal house of Alderaan. Luke was taken to his Aunt and Uncle on Tatooine and Obiwan stayed near to protect him. Yoda went into exile on a forgotten planet far away.

Time moved on, and things passed. Then more change came.

Five long years had passed since the terrible events that had led up to the rising of the Empire. The galaxy was much different than it had been five years ago. With the Empire had come many changes in politics, economy, commerce, and people's social life. The Jedi were all but extinct now, their influence nearly gone. People lived in fear. The Emperor had already shown what happened to those that defied him. But there were those that still did. The beginnings of the Alliance had formed, mainly with the leaders forming support and meetings to decide the mechanics of what would later be known as the Rebel Alliance. They were starting to gather money, weapons, and machines, but all that had to be done in secret.

Unknown to those that saw them, there were a few Jedi around mainly in planets far from the main cluster of systems near Corescant. Few dared to travel beyond their current location. And so they lived on. A few would live to see the Empire fall. They would live, hiding who they are so well that not even Darth Vader would find them.

In the dusty and downtrodden port on a nameless planet, the people went about their lives with relatively few intervene from the Empire. This planet was not too influential or powerful. They did not give trouble to the Empire, nor were counted among the most loyal. They were mostly ignored. A few ships here and there could be seen refueling, but those generally left fast. Those on board quickly forgot about the planet they had just been at, and so life continued. It was here that became a safe haven for a certain small ship and its crew. The ship at the moment was resting in one of the docking bays, having just been repaired after it had 'appeared suddenly' in a small asteroid belt.

Two teenagers were arguing near the ship, their voices getting louder as the argument continued.

"It looks stupid, Toni. Get rid of it." The girl said, her green eyes flashing in anger at the boy who bore the blunt of her anger.

"It does not! Anyway, I can do whatever I want to do with it." The boy retorted, his eyes almost seeming to glow. The two continued to glare at each other, their eyes trying to stare the other to death. The third teenager who came upon the scene stopped in amazement. There seemed to be lightning flashing between the two. He rubbed his eyes, blinking, and then looked again. Yep, the lightning was still there. He rolled his eyes. Not again.

"Toni, Lana, stop it." Elik told them, striding forward.

At nearly eighteen years of age, Elik had grown into his power. He had grown older and matured, as it is natural in five years. He looked like his father at that age, except for the hair which he changed a lot. Naturally, his hair had remained the same reddish-brown, with it looking even lighter in the sunlight. But more often than not, he changed its color often. It went back and forth from black, to his natural color, and to a mix of the two (blackish with small streaks of red and brown). Sometimes he died it other colors, like blond, white, and blue for both disguises and fun. His eyes, when he didn't have contacts in to change their color, were the same blue as they had always been. They were just colder and darker with the reality of his life. When he got angry, they could look like chips of ice. He was still short, to his utter horror, and would only grow to be average height when he stopped growing. He hated that, and it was a focus point of teasing between his 'family'. At the moment his hair was the mix color of black and the streaks of red and brown. Somehow, he was the only one that was able to make it work.

Both of the other two teens turned and looked at him. They had grown too. Lana had changed into a young woman who had human men of all types looking at her. She was beautiful, something she used to get information (not that way, you sickos, she just made people especially men slip up information when they were focusing on trying to…you know…which never happened). She tended to just have her hair just two different ways. Her natural hair color, red, or a mix of colors (red, black, brown, and gold). Antoni had gotten much taller, two feet taller than Elik who grumbled about that a lot. His hair was the same color as before, except for the streaks of light blue he had applied in his hair. Oh, he changed his hair color for disguise purposes but didn't like to. He hated when he had to change it to a different color like black or brown, but degrudingly did so.

The reason they had to change their hair color so much, and use a variety of other disguise techniques was to stay a step ahead of the hunters on their trail. The hunters, mainly the Empire since Palpatine didn't trust bounty hunters not to harm them in anyway, had been getting more desperate to get them and they had to move around all the time to stay ahead. They hated it, but it was necessary to stay out of the Sith's hands. Palpatine wanted Elik just as much as before, and would not take no for an answer. The only times they were not at one of their many 'bases' or refueling and getting supplies, they were just hanging around in space. They didn't get out much but had to make sacrifices to stay free.

They had all grown closer, like a family. Jax was the guardian/mentor/older brother while they were the students/younger siblings. Jax had been the one to teach them the Jedi skills they would of learned from a Jedi Master if things didn't turn out differently. He used his own experiences and what he had been taught to teach them. Thankfully, the information that had been copied and stored by unknown Jedi (the same exact information that had been in the Jedi Archives) had helped. Jax still did not know who had copied it all, but histories, tales, techniques and so much more would have been lost if that unknown Jedi hadn't done so. Jax had done what Master Kenobi had said and copied the information on about fifty or so memory crystals. Memory crystals could store so much. Just one could store all the information in the Jedi Archives and that is what Jax had done. He had then slowly but surely hid the crystals around the galaxy, mostly on planets in the outer rim or beyond. These planets had been forgotten for years, and many of them training grounds for the Sith. Many artifacts were there still, along with numerous tombs of long dead Sith. Palpatine left them alone. Jedi could not last long there, with the dark side having been absorbed in the very rock themselves. They would go crazy from the exposure. So Jax had used this, and had hidden the crystals there. Only Jax and Elik knew where they were. The spirits and dark side energies left the crystals alone, since they were made of a material that gave no indication to the force that anything was there.

So the Jedi Archives had been saved. Elik in fact also wore a crystal around his neck, disguised as a simple decorative necklace.

"I got the supplies and as soon as Jax returns we can leave. Stop drawing attention to yourselves. You can argue when we leave." One serious recent flaw of Elik's was that he tended to get way too serious at times like this. He would be tense the whole time he was anywhere but in the safety of hyperspace or the Hide-Out (as Toni had named the planet they had made their main hide away place. It was this planet that they had gone to first five years before. It was the planet Korriban, and even though the place gave them the creeps, from all the dark side energies there, they had come to get used to it. the nightmares had taken a bit to get used to though.) While it was good to be serious at times like this, Elik tended to take it to extremes. He also tended to make himself sick afterwards from all the stress.

The two others looked at each other for a brief moment. While they had their "husband-wife" moments, as Elik and Jax called it, they knew the seriousness of the situation. They also were agreed that Elik needed to get away from this place or he would have a heart attack. They didn't know what it was this time, but this supply trip was making Elik nervous. Elik was much stronger in the Force than them, and he had been trained to trust his senses. If he knew something was wrong, then something was wrong.

"Where's Jax?" Toni asked, looking around. Actually this place was starting to get him nervous.

"Right here…get on the ship now!" Jax's voice rang out at them, making them instantly look. The dark haired man was running in their direction. Then they felt the warning in the Force and obeyed his command. They ran aboard the ship and closed the hatch after Jax limped through. Elik was already at the controls. It took no time at all for the ship to lift and take off. They were just in time too, since three stormtroopers ran into the hangar right then.

Lana had gotten Jax to sit down. The bottom of his left leg was red with blood and strips of cloth hung off. "What happened?"

Jax panted, and accepted her help without complaint. Normally he hated being helped, but this time it was necessary. Hissing as she poured alcohol on his wound, he gritted his teeth. It hurt like hell, but it needed to be cleaned. She was using the alcohol, so apparently they had ran out of medical supplies again. "A man came into the shop when I was about to leave. He was talking about troopers having just landed. I hurried here as soon as I can, but it wasn't just troopers this time."

Lana gasped. "It wasn't Vader?"

He nodded glumly. "Somehow they knew we were there. He knew where I was, and almost got me. I gave them a little chase. Not sure where Vader went, but I had to get to you guys."

"I know where he went." Elik's strained voice came from the cockpit. Lana helped Jax up and they went to join the others. All of them were pale and looking straight ahead. They followed their eyes and then gulped. Three star destroyers were blocking their way. There was no way to get past them.

"Now that is just overkill. Three of them is a bit much." They knew they were caught. Damn. Five years they had lasted, but it was all over. Toni voiced all of their thoughts. "I just want to know why he wants you so much, Elik."

"I know, I want to know too. Guess we'll find out, won't we?" Elik said, sounding defeated. Then he straightened. "Toni, erase the main computer. We can't let them found out where we were." Toni nodded and then turned to the little box that stored all of their destinations. He agreed. They couldn't find their hide outs. (AN: I have no idea of the layout of ships' controls, so bare with me. If I get it wrong, don't shoot me.) Toni took out his lightsaber and ignited it. The pale green beam shot out, and in less time than it takes to brink the control box was laying on the floor in pieces of melted metal and wire. He made sure it was destroyed past hope, and then put his saber away. "It's done."

They were separated when they reached one of the Star Destroyers. They had to sit helplessly as they were pulled in by tractor beam. At least that gave time for them to destroy everything they didn't want the enemy to get their hands on. That included any indication of their hiding places, and a few other odds and ends. When they were brought aboard, Elik and the rest of them were separated. Elik was taken in the opposite direction, and had the dubious pleasure to be taken to Darth Vader. He glared at the man, machine really, with all of his hatred. This was the source of everything that had happened to him, besides Palpatine. This had once been the man he had looked up to with all of his being, the man he wanted to be like someday. He hated Darth Vader, and had not been able to get rid of the hatred in all the mediation he had done. Hatred was not a good emotion for a Jedi to feel, but no matter what he tried he couldn't get rid of it.

He felt Vader before he saw him. The darkness surrounding him was almost palpable, so much that even the non-Force sensitive people around him could feel it. Vader looked at him, he couldn't tell what he was thinking because of the mask, silently. "You have been most troublesome to catch, boy." Vader could almost feel the gears turning inside the boy's head, trying to think of how to get out of this situation. "I wouldn't try anything, if you are smart. There is nowhere for you to go. If you do, terrible consequences will befall your friends."

"What do you want with me, Vader? Why don't you just kill me now?" Elik knew he couldn't try anything. He would never bring harm to his friends, and besides Vader did have a point. Where would he go if he did escape? They were in space, and heading for the capital.

"The Emperor has requested your presence. You should feel honored, boy. Not many has the chance to have audience with the my master at his request."

"Somehow, I really don't feel honored."

"Take him away and put in a cell far away from the others. Put the ship in a private bay and do not board it." Vader turned and walked away, feeling the burning gaze on his back as the boy was dragged away. He could feel the hate in the boy's gaze as he looked at him. That was good and would make it much easier for his master. Shrugging away the memories of a weak man and this boy so long ago, he strode to inform his master of the news.

He felt the presence of the Emperor before he even set foot on the planet. It was like a vast darkness, eating away at the light. It was centered around the palace, and he knew he did not really want to go there at all. But he had no choice. His family was still on the ship and would stay there for the time being. For their safety, he had no choice but to quietly follow the stormtroopers. The path they took was empty of any people, and for that he was glad. He hated being stared at, and the sight of him being surrounded by stormtroopers would make it impossible not to stare. It was utter agony, walking along that seemingly long stretch of hallway. He lifted his chin, disguising his feelings for defiance. That disappeared when two large black doors came into view. He could feel the source of the darkness right behind the doors, and he was getting closer. Soon he would be in the room. As they reached the doors, they slid quietly open. The stormtroopers surrounding him stayed behind, but there was no chance of escape. Two masked, red guards of the Emperor came forward and took over. He couldn't do anything with them around. They were the elite. They have trained for years to hone their skills, along with natural talent. He was still an apprentice Jedi; even though Jax taught him along with the others he wasn't his master. They were masters in their own right, of their way of fighting. He would have no chance.

The room was large, and seemed only to hold the one platform at the other end. The thrown on the platform had its back to them, the person seated upon it not even bothering to turn around as he entered. Elik was escorted to right before the thrown, and made to stand there. He could feel the darkness pushing at his mental shields. It knew something he didn't and seemed to echo with satisfaction. Minutes passed, and Elik was focused on trying to stay still and quiet. He knew what the man was doing. Finally the thrown slowly turned, and he was face to face with the man who had caused all of his misery.

He was startled to see that the man once known as Senator Palpatine, and then later as Councilor Palpatine looked…so old. His skin had shriveled, and the shadows under his eyes deepened. Out of the caverns that could be called eyes, two yellow eyes looked down at him. Palpatine looked down at the young man…no boy that stood before him. To think that this boy had been causing so much trouble for him and not coming forward was amusing. This boy held so much power that he almost burst with it. He had waited five long years to have this boy in his possession. Somehow, he had escaped the temple with his friends. Ever since then, he had led his hunters on a game of hide and seek (with him in the lead). He had gotten quite a few officers quite upset at him, with his ability to get out of any trap they set up. It was really a stroke of luck that he had been caught, with three Star Destroyers to make sure he did not escape again. It might have been considered overkill, but it had been necessary. Somehow this boy had the most luck in the galaxy.

He had been trained, at least partially in the Jedi Arts, but not enough. It was obvious that the one teaching him was not a Jedi Master, though that did not mean he was not a good teacher. It was to Jax Pavan's credit that his students were trained as good as they were. Lord Vader had told him of the training he could tell just by watching the prisoners. The way they moved, so they could move at any second and yet still be relaxed. It was the mark of someone who had trained their body to do that. Palpatine actually found it quite ironic that the son of the man that had almost ruined, or at least set back, his plans so many years ago was one of those to survive. Not only did he survive, but he prospered and fought back. Mainly by protecting and teaching the three children with him. While the elder Pavan had not been a Jedi, he had had qualities that Palpatine did not see that often. Resourcefulness, cleverness, and a determination that was unmatched by most people.

Each of his students had the same qualities, either inborn or taught. It was interesting to observe.

He observed the boy in front of him. Seeing the dyed hair and therefore more ways of disguise, he mentally mused on how such simple methods had prevented his hunters from spotting him in a crowd (even when right in front of them). It had happened more than once, quite a few times actually. He saw the concealed emotions in the boy's eyes. Fear, nervousness, confusion, trepidation, and anger: all were there. He was pleased to see the anger. Lord Vader had reported his hatred. Good signs. More ways for the dark side to get its grasp on the young Jedi.

"Elik Kenobi, how good it is to see you at last. I was beginning to fear that I would not be able to see you myself." A lie, he knew he would no matter how long it took. He always got what he wanted. He felt the surprise of the guards when he had spoken the boy's last name, but did not fear it getting out. They were too well disciplined and trained for that. "I must say, I am impressed on how you have escaped my servants for so long."

"Maybe they need to be replaced. They are obviously incompetent. Even your little pet Vader needs to be trained more." The boy retorted, almost spitting Vader's name out. Palpatine smirked mentally. That was something he would have to play off of later on, during his training. His rather…negative emotions toward Vader could be put to good use.

"Hmm, it wasn't just them my dear child." He bristled at the 'child' part but kept silent. "Let's discuss the foolishness of my men later, shall we. We have much more to talk about."

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Yes, yes, we do. We will have to discuss the…benefits of you joining my side."

The boy was struck speechless. Obviously everything he had thought of why the Palpatine wanted to see him was nothing near the truth. "I will never join you."

Palpatine chuckled dryly. "Let's not dismiss it before you hear more, my young apprentice. It is after all, your friend's fate we are talking about. Along with other…benefits."

The boy hesitated. He could see the conflict in his eyes. That was a good sign. "Of course, you don't have much of a choice. I have the means of securing you and making sure you don't have any means to get out." He gestured, and before the boy could do anything, he was held still as a needle was injected in his skin. The blue-ish liquid inside the needle was painfully injected, and it was quite a lot too. The liquid was specially designed by his scientists years before, and enhanced in the years after being designed. It was simple really. The liquid would be absorbed by the blood cells, then the bones, then the organs, and everything else in the body. Each cell would have the liquid inside of them, and as they divided would just produce more. Not just one injection was enough though. There were about twenty in the period of ten days that would be needed. But after that, Elik would have no choice. Elik would not be able to end his own life, and would be forced to obey his master's commands or else cripplingly pain would flood each cell in his body. There would be no physical side effects, for the pain was not physical, but he would feel it all the more. Whenever Palpatine wanted to, he would trigger the pain. Eventually, it would make sure that Elik obeyed his every command whether he wanted to or not. It was like training a pet or a small child, actually, very similar. Obey or face the consequences.

The boy was released after all the liquid was injected, and he fell. Palpatine knew that it was very painful when it was injected. He had had it tested on many test subjects before he knew it was ready, and each one had the same reaction. Well, the reaction now was worse than the first test subjects', because he had made it worse. He waited for a moment longer for the boy's eyes to fall on him.

"What has just been injected into you is a special little liquid. It will spread to every cell in your body. When each cell divides, it will be reproduced. It will be everywhere in your body, and would be permanent. At just a thought," he triggered the pain and the boy collapsed again, "or a movement, well you see what will happen. You cannot get out of it. It also makes you unable to injure yourself, so no trying to kill yourself now. Any attempt will trigger it, and it will last for one week after the attempt."

He waited until the pain faded slightly for the boy, and he knew he had made his point. "You are mine now, Elik. You will train under me, and at times under Lord Vader. During the training I will know when you are disobeying me, and I will trigger the pain again. Any lack of effort or improvement will also do it. I suggest you work hard, or these coming few years won't be so pretty for you. You will never be physically hurt, unless I deem that you need to be and so I will head your punishment sessions myself. Do you understand?" He triggered it again, and watched silently, enjoying the waves of agony off the child. He asked again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes…."

He triggered it again. "Not what I want. Try again."

"Yes my master." The boy obviously hated the words, but uttered them anyway.

"Good, good. I suggest you work hard, since your friends' lives hang in whether you do or do not. There may be rewards if you work hard enough, so I suggest you do so."

Later on, Elik huddled next to the wall in the small cell he had been _oh so generously_ given. If he worked hard, he may be moved to a more comfortable room but until he did this was what he had to look forward to every night. One of his lightsaber burns stung, and he held the whimper in. His training had started that day. Vader had been called to 'test' his lightsaber skills. He really wished he hadn't, since he had been pushed torturously by the former Jedi. He had not been given any breaks, and had been forced to desperately keep the red blade of the other's lightsaber from inflicting any more wounds. Every time he fell Palpatine had also flooded his body full of pain, too. He had been almost unable to move by himself when Palpatine had called for a stop.

After that, he had been dragged off the floor and then taken to a 'special' lab. There, he had been implanted with several chips, along with blood replenishing medicines that had been dumped down his throat. One apparently for tracking, but he wasn't told of the purpose for the others. One of the he had found out, though, its purpose when it had knocked him to the floor when he tried to call upon the light side of the Force for comfort and healing. Apparently his new 'master' had covered every possibility.

His friends were in similar cells as he was, but apparently with slightly more comfortable privileges. They had a bed. Every one of them had force restricting collars and bracelets on, and was guarded at every moment. Each of them worried for Elik, and for themselves. They didn't know what was going on but didn't like it.

Hope that chapter was good. R&R


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